


A Disaster Would Be an Understatement

by VenomousSecret



Series: Sheith Tumblr Prompts [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Biting, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Making Out, Misunderstandings, Not exactly a healthy way to deal with conflict, Polyamory, Rimming, So much angst, currently unresolved, he didn't even do anything wrong, poor shiro, you guys are idiots please just sit down and talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 20:31:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7452985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenomousSecret/pseuds/VenomousSecret
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith just wants to blow off some steam, but when Lance comes into the picture, things get a bit more complicated. Jealousy is an ugly thing, but surely they can make this work, right? After all, everyone is getting what they wanted. Shiro wonders when this became such a mess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Disaster Would Be an Understatement

**Author's Note:**

> Just a reminder that everyone depicted in this is of age. I can be found at keithxshiro on tumblr for other prompts.

Adrenaline burned like fire in Keith’s veins at the end of his training time.

His muscles remained tense, searching for another outlet for the excess energy. Now that the training deck was closed to him for the day (in an attempt to keep him from running himself into the ground), his options were limited. Finding Shiro afterwards was nearly second nature at this point. It was, after all, _his_ fault Keith couldn’t just keep fighting until he dropped.

He would make sure to enjoy the alternative.

Shiro hadn’t expected Keith, still smelling of sweat, to quite literally drop in on him where he was resting on the couch, but it wasn’t unwelcome. It wasn’t even that surprising anymore, and only affirmed his choice to put a cap on Keith’s training time. There were also some very nice side benefits to the plan.

Smiling up at Keith, Shiro set aside the data pad he’d been engrossed with, giving him his full attention. He reached up, threading a hand through the back of Keith’s hair, earning a quiet moan.

“Hey gorgeous.” Shiro grinned, a shot of satisfaction rushing through him when Keith’s cheeks tinted red, the younger man huffing and looking away from him as the blush spread to his ears. Complimenting him created some wonderful responses; it was a shame that Keith saw anything more heartfelt as overdone or insincere.

Keith’s dark eyes locked onto Shiro’s again, desire flashing within them.    

Not giving Shiro time to so much as ask him how training went, Keith closed the gap between them, settling more comfortably over him as his lips sought the black paladin’s. When Shiro tried to keep it gentle, Keith pressed more firmly against him, nipping lightly.

Keith wasn’t in the mood for tenderness, and the groan that echoed against his mouth told him Shiro didn’t mind at all.

The blaze that had itched under his skin collected and settled deep inside Keith as their kisses quickly passed the ‘publically approved’ point. Shiro had eaten something sweet recently, a taste Keith chased with his tongue. He moaned quietly in the back of his throat when Shiro started to properly use his hands, allowing them to roam over his body rather than simply hold him in place.

Rocking his hips, Keith worked to get one of his legs between Shiro’s and the back of the couch, seeking leverage to properly grind down against him. The smirk against his lips was enough to tell him that Shiro wasn’t making it any easier for him on _purpose._

Keith redoubled his efforts, passing a growl through the kiss as he tried to wedge his knee down in the space where Shiro was _actively pressing_ his leg against the couch cushion. Of course Shiro would be content to keep Keith moving like this on top of him, but Keith didn’t like how their legs got in the way, keeping him from getting the stimulation he was after.

It was a small personal victory when Keith finally managed to straddle him properly, Shiro bucking up against the inside of his thighs instinctively as Keith rolled his hips, pressing their quickly growing hard-ons together and relishing in the sensations it caused. By now Keith couldn’t say for sure who was making what noise, but he distantly hoped no one was walking by at the time. The groans would be nearly impossible to explain away.

As much as this was doing wonders for him, Keith knew in the back of his mind that they would have to move soon. It wouldn’t go over well if certain members of their team stumbled across the two of them pressed tightly on the couch, clearly doing a little more than just cuddling.

Not that Keith cared.

He wanted…

He needed…

* * *

The door to the common area whooshed open, and Lance stepped through, glancing around.

“Has anyone seen—“ Lance’s voice quickly cut off when he saw the two on the couch, the glare he received from Keith doing things to his stomach that it really had no right to. “Oh, uh…”

Lance hesitated just long enough for Keith to sit up straight, still perched shamelessly on top of Shiro, an erection evident even from where Lance was standing. Or perhaps he just knew to look for it.

Something dark twisted in Lance’s chest at Keith’s unaffected glare, as if his presence were an unwanted interruption, even though…

“ _Obviously_ not.” Lance waved an arm at them as he turned to leave, playing at nonchalance. It didn’t bother him. Nope. “Don’t let me interrupt.”

“Lance—“ Shiro spoke up, but Lance had already gone past the doorway, the automatic door whooshing shut behind him.  

Shiro sighed, letting his head fall back to the couch. This whole situation was difficult enough to juggle as it was. Enjoyable. But difficult. These two…

Keith seemed to take the empty room as permission to continue, and he laid back down over Shiro, mouthing along his jaw to encourage his hands to move on him again.

“Keith.” Shiro reached up to hold his hips still, doing so with ease. “You’re lucky it was just Lance this time.”

“So?” Keith looked down at him, indigo eyes simmering. The amount he cared about getting walked in on was rapidly dropping beneath the desire to just _do something_.

“So.” Shiro sat up then, moving Keith with him like it was nothing. “We’re continuing this in our room. Not here.”

Sighing, Keith relented, knowing that wasn’t a suggestion. Their room was just so far… Keith glared at the door where Lance had come in.

Lance was definitely getting the blame for this one, but maybe… a flash of imagining danced in his head, feeding off of memory and fantasy.

_Lance keening up against him, nails raking down his back as the near-violent kiss continued._

_The heat of being trapped between two bodies, the bruising of his lips…_

The jump in his stomach told him all that he needed to decide.

“Should we invite Lance again?”

Keith’s direct question caught Shiro a bit off guard. Nevertheless, he smiled softly. “I don’t see why not. He’s a part of us now. He deserves to be included.”

Keith hummed a bit derisively, keeping the comment about that ‘being up for debate’ trapped inside of him. Shiro pretended not to notice the tone.

“Grab a quick shower. I’ll go ask him.” Shiro pushed a hand through Keith’s hair, still sweaty from working out.

“Not like he’ll say no, coming from you.” Keith stood and stretched his arms above him, wincing at the pull on the cooled muscles.

“We’ll see.” Shiro didn’t understand how Keith had still failed to grasp Lance’s actual feelings, but there wasn’t a rush now that things were for the most part settled between the three of them.

Keith frowned at the odd look that passed over Shiro’s face, but left anyway, muttering lightly about them not daring to start without him.

* * *

 The drag of skin on skin, coupled with the hot mouth attached to his own, lit sparks under Lance’s flesh, dancing along his nerves like wildfire. Kissing Keith was something he’d quickly grown addicted to. Kissing a naked Keith was a gift he only got to revel in so often.

He chased those lips when they pulled back for air, one hand fisted deep in that _stupid_ mullet to hold him in place. A breathless Keith was more likely to nip at him in ‘punishment’, though it only served to fuel his actions.

Keith’s airy groan when Lance didn’t do anything particularly special let Lance know Shiro had (finally) rejoined them on the bed. He recognized Keith’s unique reaction to Shiro’s touch, even with his eyes closed, fully focusing on filling Keith’s mouth with his tongue… or trying to. Any attempt at exploring Keith’s mouth was met with resistance, making French kissing him a messy affair. (But so, so worth it.)

Keith’s tongue would try to force Lance’s back, and when that failed (as it usually did, what with the nature of open mouthed kisses), he would bite down on Lance’s offending tongue hard enough to sting. Any time Keith’s teeth successfully closed around his tongue, a low moan escaped Lance’s throat. He wasn’t sure what that said about him.

As Keith bit down a little harder than was probably safe, Lance vividly remembered the first time it had happened. Shiro’s voice echoed in his head, Keith’s past response remaining unsettling even so long after the fact.

_“Don’t bite his tongue off.”_

_“I dunno, it’d probably be an improvement.”_

(Lance knew Keith _could_ kiss sweetly, having seen firsthand the easy back and forth that he’d participate in all too willingly with Shiro. He’d tried to take one himself, when Keith was still blissed out after sex… mission failed.)

Keith pushed against his sternum, catching the bottom of his throat with his fingertips when Lance didn’t back off fast enough for his tastes. The red paladin panted, struggling to catch his breath even as Shiro’s hands mapped down his hips, pressing firmly into his thighs and coaxing them a little wider as a mouth kept busy on the back of his shoulders.

Wow it was hard to think straight.

“Some of us need to _breathe_ , bastard,” Keith managed to get out, a wicked smirk wide across his face.

“You sure don’t complain about that when it’s Shiro’s dick you’ve got down your throat.” Lance mentally congratulated himself on _that_ being the thing that came out of his mouth after being nearly choked.

Keith’s breath hitched, a dark look crossing his eyes as he pressed down against him, harshly latching his mouth to a sweet spot on Lance’s neck and biting down, drawing a surprised yelp from Lance.

“Ah! Fuck…” Lance groaned when Keith’s tongue laved over the spot, pressing hard enough to make the quickly forming bruise sing.

“Now, what was that, again?” Keith’s voice was pitched low, and Lance could distinctly feel each point where their bodies touched like he was being burned.

It was a challenge, and anyone who knew Lance was well aware that he was quite possibly incapable of turning one down. However, before Lance could open his mouth and dig his own grave, Keith gasped, previous words forgotten as Shiro began to ease him open from behind.

The look on Keith’s face was intoxicating, and Lance couldn’t help grinding up against him, movements becoming slicker the longer they were at this. A growl rumbled in Keith’s chest at Lance’s actions, but he cut off with a low whine when Shiro’s touch sank deeper into him. Keith’s mind was trying to be both soft and harsh at the same time, and the warring sensations left him trembling between his two partners.

(Lance just knew if it were only Shiro there, Keith would melt beneath him, but his presence created an edge that Keith clashed with. Keith would never yield to him.)

A cold feeling shot through Lance, a familiar sensation that took longer than normal to be overcome by the heat of Keith pressed against him. But Lance brushed it off. This was fine.

(And so much more than he’d ever expected.)

* * *

Shiro’s gentle crooning made Keith tremble, tensing as he was prepped. If he’d thought he’d had the time, he would have done more than just clean himself in the shower. As it was, he knew Shiro would be careful. He always was… whether Keith wanted him to be or not.

Lance was oddly quiet now, at least in terms of words.

Normally, Keith couldn’t get him to _shut up_. Making Lance moan and grunt at his actions –or keeping his mouth otherwise occupied— were some of the few ways he’d found to keep him from running his mouth. Keith didn’t know if he liked the change.

He very quickly decided he didn’t care as Shiro scissored him open, using both his fingers and his mouth to loosen Keith up. Keith’s thighs shook, trembling where they rested on either side of Lance’s hips. Soft cries spilled from his lips as he canted back into Shiro, the added stimulation beneath him from Lance pushing all other thoughts from his mind.

The pain where Lance held his hair _way too_ tight was grounding, just barely keeping him in the moment. Somehow this managed to only magnify the sensations, forcing Keith to focus on them rather than let himself get swept away. The hardest part now would be relaxing.

Reattaching his mouth to Lance’s, Keith sought distraction from the burning stretch Shiro’s actions caused (the hot breath and intruding tongue bringing him so so close to the edge, but he didn’t want to finish yet.) Kissing wasn’t all that helpful, so Keith ducked his head as far as Lance’s grip would let him, biting and sucking dark marks along his neck and collarbone, reveling in the taste of skin and sweat.

The sharp exclamation when he bit just a little too hard shot straight to his groin, and Keith clenched down. He kissed the spot, mentally begging Lance not to make too big of a fuss, because Shiro _would_ stop to check on him. Nails raked over his shoulder blade from Lance’s free hand, and while he was fairly sure he was bleeding, he took it as a trade, keeping as quiet as he could be.

Keith was suddenly left empty, for a moment thinking Shiro had seen both of them and they were going to get a lecture about breaking skin. (Again. What was the point of healing pods if you couldn’t use them?)

Instead, Shiro’s steady hand against his lower back and Shiro’s impossible request to ‘relax, I’ve got you’ had Keith instinctually tensing, before forcing himself to do just that. The initial penetration was the hardest part, and Keith groaned as Shiro eased his way in, filling him up. Keith remembered to breathe only after he felt Shiro’s hips flush against him, in him up to the hilt but not _moving_.

“You okay?” Shiro always asked, and in hindsight Keith would be grateful, but for now he knew he’d been stretched enough, lubed enough, and he just wanted him to _do_ something.

“C’mon,” Keith practically growled, shifting his hips, clenching when Shiro’s dick brushed against his prostate at the motion. “I’m _fine_ , just—“

Keith cut off with a cry, those words severing the restraint Shiro held himself with, as Shiro started moving. Finally.

The sharp rhythm was impossible to think around, and Keith preferred it that way, keeping only a tenuous grasp on reality. He buried his face against Lance’s chest, not able to do much else other than ride it out.

Lance maintained the grip on Keith’s hair, gasping at the second hand sensations of Shiro’s movements. He let his other hand roam, knowing anything he could reach was free game in this moment. Eyes darkened with lust as he watched Shiro pump in and out of Keith, Lance bit his lower, mildly bruised, lip.

“Bet he could take two.” Lance didn’t even realize the words hadn’t stayed in his head until Keith tensed against him, glaring up at him through the haze in his eyes.

“Don’t you _fucking_ dare,” Keith snarled. Was that a hint of fear Lance detected? Who’d have thought…

“I think…” The split second pause in Shiro’s speech was one of the few indicators of how affected he was by all of this, “One is quite enough for now.”

Right…

It wasn’t _fair_ how Shiro could (mostly) keep his composure this far into it (into Keith). Lance was coming undone by the friction alone from Keith rutting against him, the movement driven more by Shiro’s thrusts than any conscious effort on Keith’s part.

Keith was pretty far gone, having expended all of his excess willpower on getting that last statement out. His hips stuttered down against Lance’s arrhythmically, eyes shut tight as he struggled to maintain some kind of control that was slipping away.

“I— _Shiro!”_ Keith gasped, bucking as he came, spilling over Lance’s stomach.

Shiro swore as Keith clenched borderline painfully around him, screwing up his face and clutching at the bedsheets while fighting to keep himself under control. His movements slowed, dragging broken moans from a currently over stimulated Keith. Shiro knew he was dangerously close.

Lance wasn’t quite there yet, and Keith’s sudden dead weight against him meant he couldn’t move to finish, nor could he touch himself to get over the edge. He let out a helpless groan, still painfully hard, but well aware he’d sooner outclass Keith at piloting than get him to move.

With something akin to a grimace, Shiro pulled out entirely, precum and lube dripping from where he was still ridiculously hard. Keith let out a pathetic noise, even though he knew the rules. Shiro wouldn’t come while inside someone, and he expected to be extended the same courtesy should the situation ever arise (for all Lance knew, it had already).

He wouldn’t, no matter how Keith begged. He’d come close, but Shiro was adamant that it was a bad idea. It frustrated Keith to no end. Of all the things to get hung up on…

“Come on, Keith. You’re crushing Lance.” Shiro managed to get the words out, despite his breathlessness and the desire that still burned in his eyes. The man’s self-restraint was frankly ridiculous in Lance’s opinion. Lance thought he heard a muttered ‘good’ from Keith, but he couldn’t be sure.

Keith’s weight was lifted away, meaning Lance could finally breathe again, but the sudden lack of pressure against cock left him whining. The swollen length throbbed, and he reached down to handle it himself, Keith’s semen creating a sticky film that would only get more so as it cooled.

“C’mere, Lance.” Shiro’s voice held a hint of strain, but he pulled Lance close once Keith was settled, replacing Lance’s hand with his own human one.

Lance groaned, someone else’s touch much preferable to his own. He put his now freed hands to better use, feeling over Shiro’s form while Shiro’s hand pumped him with deft strokes. Lance was so close, Keith’s own orgasm having pushed him to the edge.

Moving, Lance pushed closer to Shiro, aligning their hips and letting out a breathy sigh as he brushed against Shiro’s erection. Shiro took the hint, or finally allowed himself to take care of himself, adjusting their position so he could take both of them in his hand.

The idea that Keith was watching this, Lance having snuck a look over at him at some point —he sure wasn’t staring at his blissed out form while Shiro got them off, nope not at all— added the extra jolt to his gut that he needed. Lance finished loudly (as if he could do anything quietly), and Shiro followed close after, pressing their foreheads together as he caught his breath.

After the rush faded, Lance was left with a discontented feeling still stirring in his gut.

He pulled away, pushing Shiro’s shoulders lightly to extricate himself from the lazy grip. Shiro let him, and turned his attention back to Keith as Lance reached for the washcloths Shiro had left on the make-shift bedside table.

After tossing one over to Shiro, Lance wiped most of the mess off of himself, mildly grossed out even though he knew he’d enjoyed it at the time. It wasn’t the best feeling after it cooled, and putting clothes on over it was a big ‘no’ for him.

He finished quickly, wadding up and throwing the cloth towards the bin that had been designated for laundry, feeling a tiny flash of satisfaction when it made it in. Lance turned back to the others, ready to point out his ‘mad skills’, if only to chase the lingering feeling from his mind. It was probably nothing.

What he saw stole the thought from his head. He bit down on his lower lip, the pain echoing dully as he just stared.

Keith was sprawled out like a lazy, contented cat, looking up at Shiro with blatant adoration written across his features. A gentle smile eased up the corners of his mouth as Shiro murmured to him, cleaning him off now that he’d finished with himself.

It was so sweet, intimate in a way the sex just hadn’t been, that the sight alone could’ve given him cavities.

Laughing quietly at something Shiro’d said, Keith curled up towards their leader, pulling him down into a tender kiss that was so far from what Lance knew that he couldn’t begin to imagine how it’d feel to receive one from him.

A wave of… something made Lance’s teeth grind together. It wasn’t anger so much, but Lance was having trouble placing it in the moment, not really caring what it was besides the fact that it _hurt_.

The sudden dip after the high left a sour feeling in his stomach, heat building in his face. Lance didn’t want to feel like he’d been used, but…

Whatever.

It was fine.

…it was _not_ fine.

“You guys done with me, then?” Lance snapped, not bothering to conceal the venom in his voice.

That caught their attention. Keith’s gaze locked on Lance with a hint of surprise as Shiro sat up the rest of the way, a frown on his face as he tried to fit the pieces behind this outburst together.

“Lance—“ Shiro began, but Lance’s blood ran cold and he spoke over him.

“Oh, remembered I was here, did you? Sorry to interrupt.” Lance pulled back on his underwear with a little more force than necessary, not looking either of the other two directly in the eye. “Must be real inconvenient for you, Keith.”

“Wha—Lance?” Keith looked so confused, brow creased as he tried to understand. A frown teased at his lips in offense as he started to come down from his high.

God forbid he be happy for any amount of time in his presence.

“Oh, how nice of you to remember my _name_ ,” Lance bit out, not having missed that not so small detail. “I’m sure it was just so hard for you—“

“The fuck is wrong with you?” Keith sat fully upright, folding his legs beside him as a glare overtook his face.

Lance just grumbled, gathering his pants off the floor and tugging them up to his hips. “This is a bunch of bullshit.”

He was so stupid to think this would work. Sure, he was ‘dating’ them, but it seemed only Shiro was willing to hold up that part of the deal. Keith had his heart set on Shiro, which Lance had _known_. He’d figured that anything more than what they’d had would be an improvement, but while Keith was willing to participate in a (frankly violent) make out session or twelve, it wasn’t…

“Lance, we can’t do anything if you don’t tell us what’s going on…” Shiro’s voice of reason was _not_ what Lance wanted right then. While Shiro was almost certain he knew what was going on, to call Lance out on it would only give him room to deny it at all.

“Nothing to say. Hell, Keith would rather I never talk again. Isn’t that right, you ass?”

“That’s not—“

“Save your breath.” Lance refused to let Keith finish, just wanting to get out of there now. “Not like _you’d_ get it, even if I spelled it out for you.”

Keith looked like he’d been slapped, anger mounting in his eyes at the slight.

Lance could feel the tumult in his head fade, knowing that true rage only ever came in short spurts. In that moment, he almost felt bad enough to apologize, to say he was just being stupid (as always, wasn’t that just the norm by now), and just… do anything to erase what he’d said before. (Keith was so much more beautiful when he smiled, and—)

But then Shiro rested an arm around Keith’s waist, offering a comfort that Keith instinctually accepted, curling toward him like it was the most natural thing in the world. The emotions that had overcome Lance dropped out from underneath him, forming a hollow pit in his stomach. He had no place here, no right to claim any part of this, not for long.

Shiro looked like he was going to say something, but Lance cut him off as he stood, ready to be gone.

“Let me know if you two want your fuck toy again anytime soon.”

There was a sound of protest, but he was already leaving, grabbing his shirt and tugging on his jacket as he made a beeline for the door. He ignored everything but the route back to his own room, (the one he _didn’t_ share the way Keith and Shiro did), and locked the sliding panel door, not for the first time regretting that the ship made it impossible to slam them.

Lance threw his shirt against the wall, curled up on his bed before it even had time to hit the ground.

This wasn’t fair.

And the worst part was, Lance couldn’t even find it in himself to fault Shiro for this mess. He was… perfect.

Shiro _knew_ Lance’s primary attraction to joining their relationship was Keith, but even still, he’d treated him just as kindly, just as lovingly. The unreserved affection and attention had thrown Lance a little off guard. He always made time for him, willing to listen to Lance talk aimlessly about his family back home, or help him with his fighting or flying or anything else that just came naturally to Keith…

But Lance knew he still didn’t fit.

Shiro was strong and kind and selfless to a fault. He’d been his hero for a long time, even before he knew him personally. It wasn’t difficult to love him.

Keith was an amazing fighter and beautiful and… and just seemed to be _better_ at _everything_ … everything that mattered, anyway. Not that he would _ever_ admit that to him…

(Lance was beginning to doubt if he’d ever come close to catching up to him).

Why the hell would either of them want anything to do with him when they had each other?

* * *

“Good fucking riddance.” Keith glared at the doorway, anger thrumming through his veins, burning behind his eyes.

What had _that_ been about? A deeper part of his brain whispered that it knew, and the idea only made him angrier. Lance would just have to get over it, he was here first. Besides, Lance wasn’t making any _sense_.

“Keith.” It wasn’t quite a reprimand, but it was close enough that Keith grit his teeth at the word. Now Shiro was mad at him too, for something he couldn’t change.

“ _What_?” Keith turned to him, hurt sparking at the edges of his eyes. “He’s acting like a jealous little… urgh!” The noise of frustration was pushed out between clenched teeth. “You were my boyfriend first, long before we even knew his _name,_ which he’s _still_ hung up about. It’s not _my_ _fault_ —“

“Keith,” Shiro spoke gentler this time, his tone alone leeching some of the tension out of Keith’s body. “I’m not blaming you, there’s plenty of that to go around…”

Shiro sighed, pulling Keith closer and stroking a hand over his hip. These two were like fire and gasoline, and he wondered if just because they burned bright meant it was worth when they burned out. “This isn’t going to fix itself, and if we have any hope of making this work we all need to be on the same page—“

“Lance should get his own book, then.” Keith scowled, anger tightening the back of his throat.

“Is that what you want?” Shiro frowned down at him, not missing the meaning behind Keith’s words.

“…no,” Keith admitted, with a shaky breath. “I just…”

It wasn’t true, it wasn’t true, it wasn’t true, but Keith didn’t have the words and none of this was going right. No, he didn’t want to _date_ him so much, the thought of trying to be soft and romantic with _Lance_ not sitting right in his head, but this wasn’t… He didn’t want him _gone._

Shiro waited patiently, but Keith didn’t finish the statement.

Keith stared at the door, feeling like the rug had been ripped out from underneath him. Things had spiraled so quickly, he hadn’t even had time to fully process what Lance was saying until he was gone. It felt like it was just sinking in, long after his mouth had mindlessly responded in the moment.

That… what Lance had said… it wasn’t… why did he have to be like that? Why did it have to be like _this_? Hadn’t he gotten what he’d wanted, anyway?

The arm around his waist was some comfort, but the sinking feeling that he had unintentionally screwed up something (again) took root in his stomach, refusing to relent. A thousand things he could have done differently flashed through his head, but with Lance’s cocksure attitude and lighthearted approach to everything, Keith had never really thought it was needed. Things had been okay…

“…Shiro?” That couldn’t be his voice, it was too weak… but there was no one else in the room who could have said it (and that was the whole problem).

Shiro could fix it, right?

“Go after him.” Shiro’s voice was level, but there was a tightness to it that unsettled Keith. Besides that…

“I can’t.” Keith looked up at him, wide-eyed and internally begging him to just go make things better. “He wouldn’t listen to me. You’re better at this, I’ll just mess it up—“

More so than he already had… words had never been his forte.

Shiro shook his head, pressing a kiss against the side of Keith’s head in a calming gesture. “You need to.” Before Keith could protest, Shiro cut him off. “He doesn’t _want_ to hear it from me, Keith, just trust me on that. I can help patch things up after, but if you don’t even try to talk to him, you might as well just tell him he’s right.”

Keith’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded, reaching for his clothes. Shiro was probably right… he always was.

* * *

Lance ignored the knocking on his room door. He just wanted to sleep this away and pretend none of this, including joining their relationship as if he had anything to offer, had even happened.

Besides, Shiro would just want an explanation and ask them to make up again. He was allowed to be distant with Keith if he wanted…right? Lance knew if Shiro asked, he’d _have_ to make amends, at least half-heartedly. His kicked puppy dog look was no joke, and Lance didn’t even think he _meant_ to do it.

When the knock came again, Lance reached blindly for his music, intent on drowning everything out.

“…Lance? Answer the door…”

Lance’s eyes shot open. That was _not_ the voice he’d been expecting. He hesitated then, twisting the cord to his headphones in his hands. He frowned, the bitter thought of ‘would a ‘please’ kill him?’ crossing with ‘what’s _Keith_ doing here?’

There was silence for a while, and Lance was certain Keith had come to his senses and left, when he heard a small ‘thud’ against the door. It was quiet enough that Lance could hear a small sigh that gripped his heart.

In his mind’s eye, he could practically _see_ the look on Keith’s face, the way his eyes would scrunch up, his mouth pressed into a thin line to hide any trembling. It was better to look angry than upset, but now Lance could tell the difference.

He trudged to the door, hiking his jacket back up onto his bare shoulder. Lance pressed the release on the panel, allowing it to slide open.

Whoops.

Not expecting the door to open, Keith had been resting his head against it, causing him to stumble when it suddenly wasn’t there anymore. He barely caught his balance in time, Lance reaching out an arm to steady him. Just as quickly as he was stable again, Lance backed off and Keith looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

It took Lance a moment to realize Shiro was nowhere in sight; Keith had come alone. He didn’t know if that was promising or not.

“I… can I come in?” Keith crossed his arms, hands searching for the edge of a jacket that wasn’t there, gripping the material of his shirt for comfort instead. Lance rarely, if ever, saw him look this vulnerable, this out of place.

Lance nearly said no. Why let Keith be comfortable at all? He was still angry (and upset and embarrassed and jealous and disappointed that he’d ever thought things could work out otherwise.)

…But.

If Keith was going to say what he thought he was, Lance didn’t want the others to possibly be privy to it, especially in their current state of dress. That would be a different level of embarrassing.

“You kind of are. In, that is, as in passed through the doorway… in the doorway.” Nice going, Lance. Way to show him you aren’t even in charge of your own mouth.

Keith didn’t move and it took a couple of ticks for Lance to realize that hadn’t been an answer, either. This was just going _so_ well.

“Yeah, fine, come in.” Lance went back to his bed, sitting down hard enough for it to protest.

* * *

Keith wasn’t sure this was a good idea. Lance was clearly pissed. And when Lance got mad, he got obnoxious, which led to fighting, which would only make things worse. If Shiro were here, he could keep them level; _why_ had he had to come here alone?

Steeling himself with a sharp sigh, Keith entered enough that the door automatically ‘whooshed’ shut behind him. It was only then that Keith realized he had _no idea_ how to start. He shifted back and forth between his feet, irritation at all of this beginning to wear at him. Yeah, irritation… anger was safer than hurt, wasn’t that how it had always been?

“You’re an idiot.” Keith blinked. Okay, well, running his mouth on autopilot was _not_ the best course of action, but Lance was already on his feet at the words.

“Oh, _I’m_ the idiot!?” Lance snarled at him, drawing close enough that Keith could clearly see the bruises from earlier, the reminder a punch in the gut. “For what? Believing for half a second you had a romantic bone in your body?”

Keith stared blankly for a moment, but continued to run hot. Arguing didn’t require understanding. “So what? What does it _matter_ what I do? You’ll find _something_ to whine about–”

“So you can’t even be bothered to try.” Lance’s scowl deepened, the dark feeling twisting in him as he dug through his brain, looking to hurt and knowing _exactly_ how to do it. “It’s amazing _anyone_ can put up with you, really. Poor Shiro, I almost feel bad for him.”

“What the _fuck!?_ ” Rage blazing in his eyes, Keith shoved Lance, hard. Lance barely maintained his footing. “What, because you think _you’re_ better or some shit?”

“Actually, yeah, I do!” Lance straightened, using every inch of height he had over Keith. “I’m better than some oblivious _wash-out_ who wouldn’t know love if it bit him in the ass.”

Keith’s voice was strained as he tried to talk around the tightness in his throat, unable to think of any smart comebacks past the blazing chaos in his brain. “ _Fuck you_ …”

Keith shook, eyes and chest burning as he tried to keep anger at the forefront. _Why did it have to be like this? Why was it **always** like this?_

“You already have,” Lance’s mocking tone only pissed him off further. There was something cold in Lance’s eyes, unsettling and unfamiliar. “Besides, you know I’m right. Back on Earth, you’re _nothing_ without your piloting, which you threw in the garbage because you couldn’t act like a decent human being and people got sick of your attitude. Shiro will come to his senses when he actually has options, and once we defeat Zarkon, you’re going back to the desert, _alone—_ ”

 _“Shut up!”_ Keith saw red. A cracking noise echoed in the room, a dull pain stemming from his knuckles where they had made contact with Lance’s face. Keith froze. _Shit._

Lance’s head snapped to the side and he reeled back, hand coming up to shield the already forming bruise. A shocked silence fell between them, dropping Keith out of his rage as he stared, his fist still half raised. Once the anger was gone, there was room for everything else to flood in, choking him, drowning him.

Whatever Keith was expecting, it wasn’t for Lance to go stone-faced, looking at him with cold, dead eyes. It chilled him to the core.

“Get out.” The order was toneless, leaving no room for argument.

“I. I’m—“ Keith flinched when Lance grabbed the front of his shirt, pushing him back towards the door. He gave no resistance.

The words that he needed, the ones that could possibly fix this, stuck in his throat. Why would Lance care, anyway? He _hated_ him. Lance only put up with him so he could fuck his hero and get some action on the side. Why else would he…

Keith was shoved backwards, and, forgetting the doors opened automatically, expected to hit the door. He didn’t. He fell. The instant of weightlessness abruptly ended, his breath forced out of his lungs as he landed on his ass.  

The door shut in front of him, and Keith stared at it blindly, knowing without checking that it would be locked to him. Keith blinked when his vision blurred, sure it was from keeping his eyes open for too long until he felt the tears escape.

He’d fucked up. He’d fucked up _so badly._ He knew he should have made Shiro do it.

Oh, shit.

 _Shiro_.

How was he supposed to tell him about this?

Keith’s chest tightened sharply, making it nearly impossible to breathe, air coming in only through sharp sobs. Lance was right. He’d end up alone at this rate, and it would only be his own fault.

A disaster would be an understatement.

**Author's Note:**

> I've already gotten one threat to fix this, lol. Let me know what you guys think!


End file.
